Sawmill Footwear

[Magicman]

Yup, it's my feet again, but not my toes because I only wear steel toe boots when sawing or handling logs.


 
The leather uppers are still in good shape but the soles/heels are a wreck.  Carhartt on the left totally worn out and the steel shank showing.  John Deere on the right with the soles/heels  separating.  I keep two pair and generally rotate them, but these are beyond rotating.  My shoe shop guy said that they were not worth repairing.  China bombs.  :

I have a pair of Wolverine boots that seem to be holding up quite well so...


 
I got another pair.  Hopefully they will hold up but the tag says.....China. 

[Southside]

My wife keeps an eye on Sierra Trading Post and Overstock dot com for my boots as I go through them a lot, leather does not like cow manure much it seems and I have an odd gait so I tend to break the soles loose on my left one often too.  I always get safety toe, gone to composite these days and they work well with a little less weight, and I have had really good luck with the ones she gets.  

[steve marek]

I go thur a pair red wing every three years 

[Tom the Sawyer]

Lynn,

I hope that the Wolverine boots work better for you than they have for me, I've had both ankle-height and full-height, steel-toed, Wolverines and at the end of the day my legs ache for hours.  Even tried inserts with no noticeable improvement.  Went to Keen boots, which are better, but still not the right ones. :(

[sealark37]

Have a glance at Georgia Boots.  Dr. Scholl's $50 arch supports will improve any pair of boots.

[kelLOGg]

A glance is all I'd give Georgia Boots unless they have made improvements. The sole cracked completely through in about a year. The dealer dropped the line.

[Magicman]

Tom, I have to wear Dr. Scholl's "gellin' insoles in whatever boots that I wear.  I tried on a pair of Justin boots this morning but they did not work at all.  Both of the broken pairs shown above wore OK but the soles wore out.  :-\  I am now wearing Wolverine boots so I should be OK.  I just like to have a spare pair to rotate.

Reebok DMX MAX is the only shoes that I can wear without my feet hurting.  My "Sunday" shoes are the same Reeboks.  I have two different colors of brown and a black pair.

[dgdrls]

New kicks this year.
Trying the unlined Carolina Lineman's boot.
Has a shorter heel than a traditional logger and the extra toe leather.
And yes arch inserts are a must!!

Also, trying  the Huberds shoe grease.
It has a long history and good to great reviews,  even in poo:)

D



 

[petefrom bearswamp]

My feet are deserting  me.
I have worn the Red Wing model which my guy tells me that its the only one made in US for many years.
I now have neuromas, and hammer toes and ever spreading feet.
Woe is me.
I bought a pair of Ariat cowboy steel toe boots that are working good so far, wide but not too short.
Plan to have the feet taken care of in The fall when I go deer hunting and can sit on a  stump.
The Red wings were the best!!

[Brad_bb]

Those all leather boots are just too hot for me, winter or summer.  I need a something comfortable but that has some ankle support.  For 10 years or so I've been wearing Lowa GTX Renegade mid hiking boots.  They last 6 months to a year.  About $220/pr.  They have a wide version which I need and is comfortable.  Failure mode is usually one side of the boot will split a seam from a year of side pressure.  Before that happens they do quite well at keeping water out.  The sole loses it's cushion after about 6 months of regular everyday wear.  Dr. Scholls gel insoles help when that happens.  Cushioned socks also help.
I've gone through at least 10-12 pair in the last 10 years.


 

[booman]

$220 a pair is too rich for my taste.  Plus only lasting 6 months to a year.  I have had the best luck with the Wolverines steel toe. 

[RichTired]

My first job out of high school was working with a little phone company (Bell System) and part of my job was climbing poles, so I got me a pair of Chippewa Boots. They were a little pricey for an 18 year old yet to be paid. But they were good boots. I now have a couple of pairs of Wolverines, with and without the steel toes.

[TreeStandHunter]

The Georgia logger has been my best pair to date. Had a $275 red wing pair that only lasted a year before they delegated. Just bought my second pair of the loggers they are very comfortable I wear them during our prescribed fires for hiking. Keens have treated me well with a good price point on the composite toe boots.

[mapleack]

I worked in land surveying for 11 years and got into asolo brand hiking boots, comfortable and last thousands of miles.  Sadly they don't make steel toe. I've got danner steel toes made in the USA right now for work and milling and they are pretty good.

[hamish]

Looking after you footwear is paramount with looking after your feet.  I have a pair of Danners I got in 1993 and have been resoled 5 times and used hard, but darn near everytime they come off they get cared for, and looked after (think of not putting your gun away wet and full of mud).

I have worn many a workboot over the years and get 2-3 times the wear out of them than co-workers, guess its like making ones bed and knowing how to cook.

[hopm]

Danner is my go to in footwear. I keep an eye on the clearance sales direct from Danner. The best buys are usually around Labor Day weekend. I also watch ebay. Last pair I bought on ebay was basically new Quarry boots that went for about $40.

[longtime lurker]

I wear Mongrel Boots, go through a pair a year.... the rain & mud here take a pretty hard toll on them no matter how much you look after them, but it beats the 4 pair a year of just about anything else. Plenty leather grease and keep the zipper clean helps but... it's leather, it can only handle so much water without disintegrating.

Steel caps, zip sides, plenty ankle support... and far and away the most comfortable steel capped boot I've ever tried. And still actually physically made in Australia not imported from China or Mexico which is probably why the quality is so good. Whats not to like?



 

[richhiway]

I have worn a lot of boots but for the last 15 years made in USA redwings are the longest lasting and most comfortable boot you can buy. All the guys at work wear them also and they will re sole them if you send them back.

I can wear out the soles but I have never worn out the uppers. I have a bad leg and would walk out of my right boot, pushing the upper off the sole until it would wear out and tear. That never happens with red wings.

They are expensive but worth every penny.

I have a pair of Danners that are over thirty years old but I mostly use them hunting. Danner would be my second choice. 

Also if you want your boots to last clean them and treat them with silicone or some kind of shoe grease regularly. I just got some of that Huberds that was mentioned above and really like it. Works good on holsters and knife sheaths too.

[lxskllr]

I'm hard on boots, and two years is about all I get(and they're completely coming apart at that point) from anything ranging from decent-premium quality. Not a lot of point in paying for premium when decent gives the same results. I've worn combat boots nearly exclusively for ~20 years. Every time I try something else, they aren't as good as combat boots. Combat boots(and all military gear) are made for winning, and not extracting the maximum amount of money from me, so that's what I stick with.

[logman 219]

i wear sandals !! i like the feel of warm saw dust between my toes!! used to wear speedo , but lady next door kept coming  over to watch!!

[barbender]

😂😂😂

[kkennedy64]

Redwing or Irish Setters.

[Woodpecker52]

Best boots by far are used by postal service, they are made for wear, walking all day and slip resistant, plus they by law have to be made in the USA.  Thourogood and Rocky etc.  Google postal footwear.

[gshd1]

Chippewa . . . The ones on the right are about 4 months old. Kind of my Sunday best. I haven't been trying but have managed to not get them wet or scuffed up yet. 

 

[alan gage]

After going through way too many pairs of hiking boots similar to what Brad posted, and finding the goretex linings too hot and sweaty, I decided to go back to good old leather. Picked up a pair of Red Wing #606 for under $200 at the local ACE Hardware. That was over 2 years ago and they're still going strong. The tread is getting a little thin but the leather is still in good shape other than wearing holes in the toe tips from kicking at things. They make little patches for this, which I did last winter. Since getting them I've worn them almost daily. They're so comfortable I rarely wear anything else, even if taking the dog for a 6 mile walk.

I got so sick and tired of boots wearing out in 6-12 months and the failure point always seemed to be the same: the stitching by my little pinky toe, which is where the boot flexes with every step. I decided I'll never buy another pair of boots/shoes made up of multiple panels on the toes/sides. For my birthday the other day my girlfriend bought me a pair of #2406 boots, which is the same style but with steel toes for more protection around logs and lumber. Looking forward to breaking them in later this summer when the back gets good enough for me to pull the mill out again.

Alan

[randy d]

I have to agree with the Red Wings I have a pair of 608 boots that are going on 3 years I have worn them just about every day and there is still a lot more wear left in them their not cheap but I think their worth the money. By the way I also use Aetrex insoles. They made a very comfortable combination.Randy

[WLC]

When I worked in the woods all the time or was hunting all the time I wore nothing but Chippewa or Danners.  A pair would usually last me about a year or a little more if I was lucky.  BUT, I am VERY rough on boots.  

[Lawg Dawg]

Anyone tried KEEN's? Composite toe and they feel like a pair of New Balance tennis shoes. If I don't wear my KEENs, I go with the Georgia Boots

[Old Greenhorn]

I have a pair of Keens I wear at the day job almost every day. Nothing wrong with them, very comfy. But the terrain around here is too rough for low footwear when working in the woods. The rocks will cut your ankles to pieces. There is no cut protection either to speak of. I will wear low hiking boots for light work, but if I am moving logs or running the saw I have on my Georgia loggers. They are fairly cheap but they support and protect my ankles and have steel toe and shank. I think of the Keens as 'safety slippers'. ;D ;D :D

[Don P]

I tried Keens and they felt good for awhile but then slowly started making my feet hurt, a friend had bought some about the same time and said the same thing. Might be less support than I need. Hard to say I'm sort of like richhiway. Red Wings seem to work. Whatever makes the dogs happy. Buy good shoes and a good bed, when you're not in one you're in the other.